Boy on a Dolphin (1957)

Synopsis:

After a poor sponge diver (Sophia Loren, Two Women) discovers an ancient statue, “a boy on a dolphin,” a dedicated museum curator (Alan Ladd, Shane) and an unscrupulous art dealer (Clifton Webb, Laura) vie for the priceless artifact.

Reaction & Thoughts:

“Restoring priceless objects to their rightful owners… a typical middle-class gesture.”

Picturesque adaptation by Ivan Moffat (Giant) and Dwight Taylor (I Wake Up Screaming) of David Divine’s 1955 novel of the same name. Directed by Jean Negulesco (Johnny Belinda), Boy on a Dolphin is an unpretentious adventure tale noteworthy for its photogenic locations, Greece’s gorgeous Saronic Islands.

Where Boy on a Dolphin is most interesting is in its presentation of a moral dilemma: What would you do if you find a rare historical artifact, sell it or donate it to a museum? The film takes a serious look at the ethics and morality of the art market.

In addition, I thought Boy on a Dolphin had a few similarities with the Indian Jones franchise and Walt Disney’s popular National Treasure movies. Unlike the aforementioned films, however, this is a character-driven movie. Although originally designed to showcase 20th Century Studios’ then new CinemaScope process, character judgment and motivation are the primary focus of the film.

However, having said that, the visuals are the film’s main selling point. The Greek Islands, the spectacular underwater photography and Italian diva Sophia Loren are eye-candies. Cameraman Milton Krasner (Three Coins in the Fountain) does seem a little too obsessed with Loren’s physical attributes, but who can blame him?

Speaking of Loren, Boy on a Dolphin marked her big Hollywood debut. It’s pretty obvious that she is in the movie because of her enormous beauty. Loren must have sensed the crude objectification — in one famous scene, she comes out of the water ala Ursula Andress (in Dr. No) — because she started accepting more challenging roles in the next few years, effectively proving that she was much more than a sex symbol.

Alan Ladd’s character, Dr. James Calder, has more than a few things in common with cinema’s mots famous archaeologist, Dr. Henry “Indiana” Jones. There is even mention of Calder fighting the Nazis over historical artifacts! Anyhow, I really liked Ladd here. My only issue with Ladd is that he has no chemistry with Loren — he is aloof while she is earthy and gregarious, a combination that simply doesn’t work.

The great Clifton Webb came close to stealing the show as an unscrupulous “raider” who buys/sells stolen artifacts on the black market. Webb’s Victor Parmalee is the kind of bad guy you-love-to-hate. I was thinking, “Webb could have played a great James Bond villain!” The cast also includes Spanish heartthrob Jorge Mistral as Loren’s boyfriend and Laurence Naismith (Jason and the Argonauts) as a seedy physician.

Conclusions & Final Thoughts:

Despite the lack of chemistry between its stars, Boy on a Dolphin is a fun movie with an interesting storyline and outstanding color cinematography. Fans of films like King Solomon’s Mines (1950), The Deep (1977), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Romancing the Stone (1984) and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) will want to check out this colorful and entertaining adventure movie. Color, 111 minutes, Not Rated.

This is my contribution to The Man Who Would Be Shane: The Alan Ladd Blogathon, hosted by Pale Writer.